ABSTRACT
Twelve nodulating Paraburkholderia strains isolated from indigenous South African fynbos legume Hypocalyptus sophoroides were investigated to determine their taxonomic status. Genealogical concordance analysis, based on six loci (16S rRNA, atpD, recA, rpoB, lepA and gltB), revealed that they separate into two consistent and exclusive groups. Average nucleotide identity and DNA-DNA hybridisation comparisons indicated that they were sufficiently divergent from their closest known phylogenetic relatives (Paraburkholderia caledonica and Paraburkholderia terrae, respectively) to be regarded as novel species. This was also supported by the results of fatty acid analysis and metabolic characterisation. For these two isolate groups, we accordingly propose the new species Paraburkholderia strydomiana sp. nov. with WK1.1fT (= LMG 28731T = SARCC1213T) as its type strain and Paraburkholderia steynii sp. nov. with HC1.1baT (= LMG 28730T = SARCC696T) as its type strain. Our data thus showed that H. sophoroides may be considered a promiscuous symbiotic partner due to its ability to associate with multiple species of Paraburkholderia.
Subject(s)
Burkholderiaceae/classification , Burkholderiaceae/isolation & purification , Fabaceae/microbiology , Plant Roots/microbiology , Soil Microbiology , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Bacterial Typing Techniques , Burkholderiaceae/genetics , Burkholderiaceae/physiology , Cluster Analysis , Cytosol/chemistry , DNA, Bacterial/chemistry , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Fabaceae/growth & development , Fatty Acids/analysis , Nucleic Acid Hybridization , Phylogeny , Plant Root Nodulation , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Rhizosphere , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
Despite the diversity of Burkholderia species known to nodulate legumes in introduced and native regions, relatively few taxa have been formally described. For example, the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa is thought to represent one of the major centres of diversity for the rhizobial members of Burkholderia, yet only five species have been described from legumes occurring in this region and numerous are still awaiting taxonomic treatment. Here, we investigated the taxonomic status of 12 South African root-nodulating Burkholderia isolates from native papilionoid legumes (Hypocalyptus coluteoides, H. oxalidifolius, H. sophoroides and Virgilia oroboides). Analysis of four gene regions (16S rRNA, recA, atpD and rpoB) revealed that the isolates represent a genealogically unique and exclusive assemblage within the genus. Its distinctness was supported by all other aspects of the polyphasic approach utilized, including the genome-based criteria DNA-DNA hybridization (≥70.9%) and average nucleotide identities (≥96%). We accordingly propose the name B. kirstenboschensis sp. nov. for this taxon with isolate Kb15(T) (=LMG 28727(T); =SARC 695(T)) as its type strain. Our data showed that intraspecific genome size differences (≥0.81 Mb) and the occurrence of large DNA regions that are apparently unique to single individuals (16-23% of an isolate's genome) can significantly limit the value of data obtained from DNA-DNA hybridization experiments. Substitution of DNA-DNA hybridization with whole genome sequencing as a prerequisite for the description of Burkholderia species will undoubtedly speed up the pace at which their diversity are documented, especially in hyperdiverse regions such as the Cape Floristic Region.